Tatsunami Hibiki
Tatsunami Hibiki is a character introduced in the Muv-Luv Unlimited: The Day After series as one of its main characters. If you thought the Silver Multiverse, Lord Hetare, and the Machine Emissary were crazy protagonists, well, you ain't seen nothing yet. His piloting skills are decent, and are further augmented by his do-or-die attitude, drive, and determination. As the leader of ''Wardog'' Squadron, he is fair to all his teammates, and will not hesitate to fight alongside them in combat. The Day After Prior to The Day, the F-15J squadron that Hibiki was a part of was assigned to Europe as a unit of the Japanese Expeditionary Force, attached to the US Army to support its actions against the growing aggression of European countries that were against executing Operation Babylon. After The Day, the squadron was isolated from their main unit, and in accordance to the treaty, was placed under the command of US forces, and boarded one of their [http://muvluv.wikia.com/wiki/Naval_Ships#American_Assault_Ships Wasp-class] assault ships bound for US territory. Throughout the trip, Hibiki, then a flight commander for his squadron, got along very well with the US soldiers, and developed a belief that American and Japanese forces can respect each other and work together despite the cultural differences. Unfortunately, he also developed a complex against the larger build of most Americans, being comparatively small-sized himself. When France and Canada allied with each other to attack the USA as revenge for The Day, Hibiki was part of the forces at Nova Scotia, defending the ship against enemy attacks. Despite having the upper hand against his opponents, he started visualizing the enemy as a normal pilot like himself, and could not bring himself to pull the trigger, which allowed the enemy to perform a suicide attack on the Wasp-class ship. Following the destruction of the ship and the loss of their base and command capabilities, the US forces were disorganized and easily destroyed by the vengeful French and Canadian forces. Having no other option, the surviving members of the Japanese squadron then retreated as far as they could in their TSFs, before abandoning them to go on foot. The squadron, already whittled down in combat, encountered enemy search teams and cannibals in the forest, with the continuous trials further testing the tattered squadron both mentally and physically. Throughout the ordeal, Hibiki tried to keep a positive outlook and encouraged his teamates not to lose hope, but when one of them snapped and threatened to kill Sendou Yuzuka, he was forced to shoot her. The act caused him great mental trauma and anguish, as he has believed that she could be saved despite evidence of her deteriorating mental condition the past few days before her death. With only Yuzuka left, the two of them continued their journey by walking 3000 kilometers across the salt wastelands towards US territory. When Hibiki collasped from exhaustion, Yuzuka declared that Hibiki was the most important existence to her, and implored him to consume her flesh so that he may live on, before falling unconscious. Hibiki, encouraged by her act and Asagi's last words for him to kill her before she went insane, found the strength to struggle up and hold on for long enough to catch the attention of US Army F-15s that passed by overhead, resulting in their rescue. They were then hospitalized in Seattle, where the surviving Japanese population were resettled after Japan and her islands were submerged following the geographic changes caused by Operation Babylon. Episode 01 After his recovery, Lieutenant Tatsunami Hibiki was soon posted to Drake Flight of the 1st Tactical Armor Regiment, and was later assigned by Major Jinguuji Marimo to [http://muvluv.wikia.com/wiki/Wardog_Squadron Wardog Squadron] along with Yuzuka following Drake Flight's near-destruction during a skirmish with the BETA. Given the callsign of Wardog-1, Hibiki puts his former experience as a flight commander to good use in making sure Wardog Squadron fights at their best, and is able to make snap decisions in the heat of combat without panicking or conforming too much to a single plan. Yet, Hibiki remains humble in the belief that he's just doing the job required of him. Always looking out for his squadron members, Hibiki seldom shows uncertainly in his decisions and places human life above a good deal of other things; he does not mind putting himself in danger, but will not tolerate others being in the same position. He is friends with Matsukaze Ryouichi, whom he shares an odd working relationship with that involves physical action that would be considered domestic violence by any other name, and is constantly the subject of a well-meaning Yuzuka and her legendary axe skills whenever he fails to answer his morning calls in time. Episode 02 Hibiki's increasing confrontations with his past, whom he forgot due to amnesia caused by mental trauma and malnutrition, hardens his resolve to find and know the truth. He believes that only by doing so, he will be able to truly honor his former comrades and put their memories at ease. He hasn't forgotten his command duties, however, and remains a capable commander that is constantly trying to find ways to overcome his squad's inherent weakness; an example is Shizuku's lack of practice in fighting against Laser-class BETA. Hibiki carries great respect for Marimo when he first gets to know her gentle side and style of commanding, and his reverence only increases when Marimo decides to put her skills to use in educating children rather than waste time fighting against her dismissal from front-line pilot duty. His skills in a TSF remain as unorthodox as ever, ranging from rushing an A-6J Wadatsumi augmented with all-range firing data to challenging said A-6J in underwater combat after knocking it off a tall building. While his tactics make for logistic nightmares for IJMDF mechanics, his out-of-the-box style often works in surprising ways. His greatest contribution is intervening in the 8th Border War, paving the way for both the US/Japanese and Canadian/French alliances to enter negotiations. Episode 03 Still in command of Wardog, Hibiki continues to lead his unit as he always has done so in the past. Hibiki manages to come to terms with his demons from the transatlantic crossing, finally laying Asagi's spectre to rest. As a result of this he makes a lot of progress emotionally, both in his personal life and as commander of Wardog squadron. Hibiki also has the confidence of the Grand Shogun Yuuhi and swears to aid her with whatever she may ask of him. This results in him finding out the truth of what happened prior to Operation Babylon, including Professor Kouzuki's suppressed report that predicted the current state of the world as a result of the mass G-bombing, and some of the facts behind the evacuation of the Japanese home islands. As more is revealed there are hints at a power play not just within the Japanese govenrment where a significant amount of the Shogun's power has been handed to Governer Ikaruga, and by extension the Imperial Royal Guard, but on the world stage. Despite forming the New United Nations and pushing for the COSMOPOLITAN plan which would unify the remains of humanity, not everything is as it seems between the four remaining nations on Earth. On the military front Hibiki's skills not just as a pilot but as a commander seem to be increasing with each passing battle, to the point where he is able to not just persuade Shirogane to assist him during the assault on the Reactor inside JFK Hive but actually keep pace with him in combat. He also manages to garner support from Captain De La Rivierre of the French army, an enemy mere days before, but also Lilia Kjellburg of the USMC also Alfred Walken of United States Army and Captain Derek Ironside of the Canadian army who again was potentially an enemy only days before. Quotes "Don't go killing me off without my permission just yet!" Gallery Hibiki Tatsunami.jpg Once the signal flare is mass-produced....png|That HURT, frogshit. Chuuuu-ii.png|Hibiki's ego getting the oiling it deserves. Thats alot of pylons.png|Hibiki miniatures now selling at the Seattle Food Plant construction site store for only ￥99 apiece! Get a totem of your very own Hero of Japan today! Hibikixyuzuka.jpg|Well, what do you expect? Matsukaze Kick.jpg tda_il01.jpg Ellen kissing Hibiki.jpg Yuzuka hugging Hibiki.jpg Hibiki_Concept_Art.png|Original Concept Character Art of Hibiki Category:The Day After Category:Characters Category:TSFIA Category:Characters (The Day After)